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198:, this bomb had an expected yield of over 1 megaton, but only exploded with a force of a quarter of the anticipated yield. The test was still considered successful, as thermonuclear ignition occurred and contributed substantially to the bomb's yield. Another bomb dropped during Grapple 1, Purple Granite, was hoped to give an improved yield over Short Granite, but the yield was even lower.
70:, full yield of the fission primary that fails to initiate fusion ignition in the fusion secondary (or produces only a small degree of fusion) is also considered a "fizzle", as the weapon failed to reach its design yield despite the fission primary working correctly. Such fizzles can have very high yields, as in the case of
102:. If a fission device designed for boosting is tested without the boost gas, a yield in the sub-kiloton range may indicate a successful test that the device's implosion and primary fission stages are working as designed, though this does not test the boosting process itself.
223:. Although the report was found to be false, concerns were expressed that even a "fizzle bomb" capable of yielding a fraction of the known 10-kiloton weapons could cause "horrific" consequences. A detonation in New York City would mean thousands of civilian casualties.
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Russia claimed to have measured 5–15 kt yield, whereas the United States, France, and South Korea measured less than 1 kt yield. This North Korean debut test was weaker than all other countries' initial tests by a factor of 20, and the smallest initial test in
74:, where the secondary stage of a device with a 1 megaton design fizzled, but its primary still generated a yield of 100 kilotons, and even the fizzled secondary still contributed another 10 kilotons, for a total yield of 110 kT.
51:. The bombs still detonate, but the detonation is much weaker than anticipated. The cause(s) for the failure might be linked to improper design, poor construction, or lack of expertise. All countries that have had a
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reaction of the fissile material, or both. For practical purposes, a fizzle can still have considerable explosive yield when compared to conventional weapons.
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Similar test conducted the following month. Allegedly a shorter 100-foot (30 m) tower was chosen, to ensure that the tower would be completely destroyed.
27:(fizzle) can occur, whereby a very small explosion will blow the bulk of the material apart with much less energy released than a proper nuclear explosion.
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mixture is placed at the center of the device to be compressed and heated by the fission explosion, a fission yield of 250 tons is sufficient to cause
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140:. The test failed to declassify the site (erase evidence) as it left the bottom third of the 300-foot (91 m) shot tower still standing.
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Considered to be the first known failure of any nuclear device.
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How Likely is a
Nuclear Terrorist Attack on the United States?
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poisoning, which causes the secondary core to fail to ignite.
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material throughout the surrounding area, involve a partial
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program have experienced some fizzles. A fizzle can spread
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European
Program on Science and International Security.
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Operation Upshot-Knothole 1953 - Nevada
Proving Ground
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Nuclear
Experts Assess the Threat of a "Backyard Bomb”
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Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents
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Nuclear explosion with much less than expected yield
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Published August 11, 2004. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
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468:Special report -The fizzle heard around the world
538:Ian Hoffman, Oakland Tribune, October 9, 2006.
215:informant known as "Dragonfire" reported that
106:Nuclear fission tests considered to be fizzles
219:had smuggled a low-yield nuclear weapon into
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542:Nuclear Weapons, howthingswork.virginia.edu
362:The Effects of Nuclear Terrorism: Fizzles
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47:) grossly fails to meet its expected
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190:Dropped by the United Kingdom over
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170:Nuclear fusion tests that fizzled
160:North Korean nuclear test in 2006
68:multistage fission-fusion weapons
536:Not a bomb or a dud but a fizzle
567:Nuclear accidents and incidents
428:N Korea test - failure or fake?
241:results in a fizzle, caused by
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180:A thermonuclear device whose
520:Council on Foreign Relations
391:Operation Buster-Jangle 1951
378:Are Suitcase Bombs Possible?
39:of a device for creating a
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342:A short history of fizzles
318:Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
209:September 11, 2001 attacks
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368:Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
351:Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
295:Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
562:Nuclear weapons testing
448:A deadly kind of fizzle
415:Nuclear Weapon Archive.
395:Nuclear Weapon Archive.
53:nuclear weapons testing
486:Nicholas D. Kristof. "
360:Theodore E. Liolios."
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488:An American Hiroshima
322:May 13, 2008, at the
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265:Uranium hydride bomb
238:The Sum of all Fears
207:One month after the
138:uranium hydride bomb
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116:Upshot–Knothole Ruth
196:Operation Grapple 1
144:Upshot–Knothole Ray
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227:In popular culture
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136:Testing a
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364:." (PDF)
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511:Archived
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320:Archived
249:See also
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165:history.
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